CSBG Archive

Comics Should Be Good Top 50 Countdown! – #10

I have no problem considering the first appearance of Blade as a very notable issue, but what strikes me as rather odd is how slim the pickings were at this number.

Besides the first appearance of Rogue in Avengers Annual #10 (which was a great issue that reader Ajit reminded me of! Claremont writing and Michael Golden drawing), does Blade have any real competitors? And should Rogue’s first appearance outweigh Blade’s?

I mean, you have the first part of the Doll’s House in Sandman #10.

You have the first appearance Fancy Dan and the Enforcers in Amazing Spider-Man.

You have a classic Doom/Reed fight in Fantastic Four #10 (guest-starring Stan and Jack!).

You have the first appearance of Felix Faust in Justice League of America #10.

And then you have…I dunno…what else?

You’d think #10 would be early enough in a series for some notable stuff, right?

Anyhow, the first appearance of Blade in Tomb of Dracula #10 is not only notable for the first appearance of Blade, but for being a good comic by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, early in their tenure on the book!

Some other notable #10s readers have mentioned (and one I thought of)…

Sam reminded me that Promethea #10 was the famous “sex issue.”

Wolverine #10 was a big deal for a few years, as it was an untold tale of Sabretooth and Wolverine’s perhaps first meeting. Back in the “everything was hot” days of the early 90s, this was a pricey comic.

Ajit also noted that Defenders #10 was a notable part of the Avengers/Defenders War and that Ka-Zar made his Silver Age debut in X-Men #10.

Good call. Nice to see this awesome series make its way onto the list.

Some other notable Tens: Vandal Savage hit the scene in Green Lantern #10 (Alan Scott’s ’40s series, that is), Fighting Yank showed up in Startling Comics, and JLA #10 not only introduced Felix Faust, but also Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast and the Lord of Time.

Circleoffire

Spiffy

I agree with buttler that Vandal Savage probably trumps Blade. Heck, Jonah Hex would even give Blade a run for his money.

As for Rogue in Avengers Annual #10? While I’d say she’d normally overturn both Blade and Savage easily in importance, there’s something about crediting an Annual issue that just doesn’t seem right for this kind of countdown.

Top Ten #10, massive brawl at the precinct. Comissioner Ultima (described by Hyperdog as “God’s snotty older sister”) is revealed to be the killer from earlier in the series. She goes batshit, ends up killing Girl One, and things just degenerate from there. Best part: Smax asking Captain Traynor what to do. Traynor: “Break her f—–g neck, son.” Smax: “Yessir.” That’s gotta trump Blade and his big ‘fro.

The Thing #10 featured Ben breaking up with Alicia (an event which her character has never managed to recover from, even if it was revealed she was a Skrull at the time), then he, Johnny, and Reed get sucked into the Secret Wars.

Jbird

John

Y the Last Man 10, was the last amazing issue of the series and it had the best final page. It had the final battle with the Amazons, it had Hero starting her road to redemption, and it introduced the last boy. If I were to pick an issue from that run I would pick that issue.

Ten years ago, it would have easily been Avengers Annual 10. Since then, Rogue’s stock has diminished greatly (thanks to plenty of bad story ideas, the least of which was her near-death and miraculous resurrection in X-Treme X-Men), while Blade’s has gone through the roof. A movie trilogy, short-lived cable TV show, and the buzz associated with those items has caused a shift here. Tomb of Dracula 10 it is.

Jeff R.

daniel

i think not only is rogue a more popular and memorable character than blade, but avengers annual 10 is also a fantastic issue, one that was a crime not to include in the essential x-men trades. it gets my vote

[…] Comics Should Be Good Top 50 Countdown! – #10 | Comics Should BeHere is the Top Fifty Countdown of the most notable issue numbers in comic book history! From Amazing Spider-Man #50 to Action Comics #1, I’ll be counting down the most notable issues matching each number from #50 to #1 one issue a day! […]